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Howell 5th-Grader's Essay Wins At Monmouth Historical Commission

Samantha Hein's great-grandfather, John, helped found Howell First Aid; her essay on him won the Monmouth Co. Historical Society contest.

Samantha Hein, 11, with her father John C. Hein and grandfather John A. Hein. Her essay about her great-grandfather John Hein, a foundiing member of the Howell First Aid Squad, won a contest.
Samantha Hein, 11, with her father John C. Hein and grandfather John A. Hein. Her essay about her great-grandfather John Hein, a foundiing member of the Howell First Aid Squad, won a contest. (Donna Hein)

HOWELL, NJ — In the 1940s, Route 9 was heavily traveled (for the time) and dangerous, with one of the highest accident rates around.

"It was nicknamed 'Killer Nine,' " 11-year-old Samantha Hein wrote in an essay for the Monmouth County Historical Commission's essay contest.

Because crashes were so frequent, and help was not within easy reach, John Hein decided Howell Township needed a first aid squad.

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Hein, who's Samantha Hein's great-grandfather, rounded up other soldiers who had returned from World War II, and they formed what's now the Howell Township First Aid Squad.

Her essay, recounting his efforts to establish a first aid squad in Howell, earned her the top prize in the historical commission's annual contest. Entrants had a choice of two themes:

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  1. Write about a Monmouth County historical place that you have visited and how that place helped you to appreciate our history.
  2. Write about an event that is important to your family’s history (your grandparents’ generation or earlier) and tell why.

Samantha, who won the $100 top prize, is donating the gift to the first aid squad. You can read her essay below.

"We will never really know how many lives were saved by the first aid squad," but she is proud of her great-grandfather's efforts to found the squad.

You can read her essay below.

Note: This has been updated to correct the title of the Monmouth County Historical Commission.

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